Screw Jack Casting

Working my way through 'Lathework A Complete Course' and have reached chapter 9, 'Screw Jack'. This project is based on a casting from 'College Engineering Supply' (casting 511) but they do not have any in stock, or can advise when they will have. Does anyone have an un-machined casting surplus to requirements that I can purchase? Steve

Why not make some out of mild steel instead of castings?

Roger

Worth putting a Wanted Ad in the Classified section as well. (Click 'Classified' in the black banner at top of this page - it only appears when logged in.)

Your potential saviour might miss this thread because new posts don't stay on the front page for long. The Wanted and For Sale sections are more permanent.

Dave

Don't hold your breath waiting for CES, I think they've stopped doing castings completely.

Depending on the height you want, a great alternative is to buy some long series "connector" nuts and have a range of hex-head bolt lengths to get different heights. An M10 long nut is 30mm long, M12 36mm. Very lightly skim one end to get rid of any burr, and face off the top of the bolts.

Thanks Dave, ad posted. Will revert to steel if no luck with casting. Steve

Even when the original owners were producing the castings the cost was only slightly less than a bit of bar of the same overall size so it was never going to be a big money maker.

However the screw jack casting is still available from Lee who is part of the foundry that used to do the castings for CES and still does a lot of the flywheel castings including the one I specified for my Muncaster engine. He and his father have an e-bay shop and list the small jack casting

The people in here know EVERYTHING

Thanks for sharing the link Jason, non currently available. Do you have any contact details for Lee, if not I will create an e-bay account to contact him. Steve

Looks like someone beat you too it as it was available earlier. He may list another. Best to contact him via e-bay and he will probably cast you one if there are none left from the last batch.

As you are working through a lathe course, why not turn it out of steel bar or cast iron and add another learning challenge ?

The thought of making the base for the jack via a bit of taper turning, in addition to facing and drilling and tapping immediately springs to mind.

Once you have a lathe, many things that were once imposible become possible in a comparratively short timespan.

Howard

Sadly most items lask prices:

www.collegeengineering.co.uk/product-category/castings/

Including the screw jack...

www.collegeengineering.co.uk/product/screw-jack-casting-511/

I suggest making an enquiry.

Neil

"but they do not have any in stock, or can advise when they will have" would seem to suggest that Steve did enquire

Steve, what are you going to do with this jack once it is made? They are more often use don a mill and I can't see if you have said that you have one. Also with a base of 89mm it will be over 100mm or 4" tall when finished so will be too big to support items sticking out of the average milling vice so would only have limited use for the odd shaped large casting once in a while.

I'd be more inclined to make something in the 50-75mm height adjustment range and then you may be lucky to find a use for it other than keeping the workshop door open.

Hello Jason, I don't really have an intended use for the Jack at present, I am simply working my way through Harold Hall's lathework course book and have reached chapter 9, 'Screw Jack' which introduces both machining a casting and working with cast iron. Whilst I have been unable to obtain the CES casting (and yes I did enquire) I still intend to undertake the jack project as it also introduces screw cutting, so will machine a base from cast iron as suggested by others in this thread, and will also make smaller to have more utility as you suggest. As to the question of whether I have a mill, the answer is that I do and am also working my way through Mr Hall' milling course in parallel. Steve

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… and that, of course is the reason that the casting was specified, in preference to the various alternatives proposed here.

MichaelG.

Yes indeed Michael, so would still prefer to use a casting if I can find one, but no joy from CES or classifieds as yet. I am just completing the tail stock die holders and will be ready to move onto the jack in the next day or so, so may have to machine from cast iron if I am unable to obtain a casting. I have purchased a kit for a Stuart Oscillator, which of course includes a casting for the standard. I am very keen to start on the oscillator but am being disciplined in working my way through the course book before I do so, so need to crack on with the Jack! Steve

Good man, Steve

MichaelG.

They were not hard castings to hold, just needing to go into a 4-jaw. There are other books with far more tricky castings to hold!

Did you also enquire with Lee on e-bay?

One tip.

When machining cast iron, if possible, place a magnet under a sheet of paper, as close as safely possible to the machining point.

Plastic sheet is no good since the hot swarf melts a hole almost at once.

The magnet will attract a lot of the swarf. Sadly not all, it but will make cleaning up easier.

Howard.

Coincidentally Lee has just listed another casting on e-Bay which I have snapped up, so will shortly be able to progress onto chapter 9. Thank you for the link Jason, and thank you Howard for the timely and very helpful advice!